Mini Bio

I’m 38. I live on the outskirts of a small Montana town — one that has three stop signs, two bars, a blacksmith, and no grocery store. Sharing the hovel I call home is my husband, Brian, and our dogs, Levee and Wicket.

What’s a Suzzerpuss?

I have no idea.

My grandfather (Pappy) called my sister and I Ralph, Clyde, or Charlie, depending on the day. My grandmother (Nanny) called us both Suzzerpuss.

When I told her that I’d picked Suzzerpuss for a webpage name, she asked me what a Suzzerpuss was. So, I guess no one knows.

Healthier Pumpkin Molasses Spice Bread

October 31, 2018/

Here is the pumpkin bread recipe I mentioned in a previous post. I have a few things to say before you run to your kitchen to make this.

First, if you are looking for a great pumpkin bread recipe, I can promise you, this is not it. Healthy food can be good, but it’s not always as tasty as the unhealthy version. I would bet all our Monopoly money against you finding someone who honestly thinks a baked potato is better plain. However, in my experience, if your goal is to live a healthy lifestyle, something being fantastic doesn’t matter as much as something not rushing you toward a heart attack, diabetes, or obesity.

Second, I am not a baker. As you can see by the ingredient list, I just dumped about a teaspoon of most things in and called it good enough. That’s how I cook, so naturally, that’s also how I bake. A little of this, some of that. If I like it, I’ll make it again, perhaps tweaking things to make it better, and if I don’t like it, at least then I know what not to do next time. Because I’m not a baker, please don’t ask me if you can replace X with Y or use W as well. If you want to do it, do it. I won’t tell. The recipe is pretty easily cut in half, so if you want to test something, try it that way.

Some notes about the recipe itself:

You can purchase oat flour, or you can make it yourself by dumping classic rolled oats into a high-powered blender or food processor and worleyblipping it until it’s the texture of flour. If your blender isn’t powerful enough to make a nice powder, use whatever it’s made. It may not end up quite as pumpkin bread like, but it’ll do.

I happen to love allspice, so originally I used one tablespoon but have knocked it down to two teaspoons for you. If you also love allspice, kick it back up to one tablespoon. If you find you don’t like it that way, don’t do it next time.

I use coconut oil to grease whatever dish I’ve chosen. Part of what makes this recipe healthier is the lack of additional fat, so I use it sparingly, putting just enough to make the surfaces slick, but not so much that you can see clumps or streaks of the product.

(Sorry about this one.) I can’t tell you how long to bake the bread because it varies based on your choice of baking dish. The last time I baked it, I used this baker, which took about forty minutes in an oven with wildly inaccurate temperatures. This time, I used a brownie pan, and it took about twenty-five minutes or so. (I forgot the new stove had a timer for a few minutes, so I’ve estimated.)

Healthier Pumpkin Molasses Spice Bread

By using oat flour, and not including any added fats, this pumpkin molasses spice bread is a healthier alternative to regular pumpkin bread. In fact, when you think about it, it’s almost like eating a fluffy bowl of oatmeal.

Ingredients

2 cups oat flour

2 teaspoons allspice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup pecans, chopped

1/4 cup molasses

1/2 cup honey

2 eggs

1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C / gas mark 4, or whatever you usually use to cook baked goods.

Grease whatever vessel you’re using.

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients (from flour to pecans on the list above), stir together. In another bowl, combine wet ingredients, whisk until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the contents of the large bowl, mix to combine.